Download or read book Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection written by Tim R. Birkhead and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 1998-08-25 with total page 806 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection presents the intricate ways in which sperm compete to fertilize eggs and how this has prompted reinterpretations of breeding behavior. This book provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition, which is a central part of sexual selection. It also discusses the roles of females and the relationships between paternal care in sperm competition. The chapters focusing on taxonomic development are diverse and cover all the major animal groups, both vertebrate and invertebrate, and plants. The final chapter provides an overview discussing the relationship between sperm competition and sexual selection in terms of both function and mechanism and how these translate into species fitness. This book will be of prime interest to behaviorists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists, suggesting new avenues of research and new ways of approaching old problems.
Download or read book Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection written by Tim R. Birkhead and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1998-08-12 with total page 853 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection presents the intricate ways in which sperm compete to fertilize eggs and how this has prompted reinterpretations of breeding behavior. This book provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition, which is a central part of sexual selection. It also discusses the roles of females and the relationships between paternal care in sperm competition. The chapters focusing on taxonomic development are diverse and cover all the major animal groups, both vertebrate and invertebrate, and plants. The final chapter provides an overview discussing the relationship between sperm competition and sexual selection in terms of both function and mechanism and how these translate into species fitness. This book will be of prime interest to behaviorists, ecologists and evolutionary biologists, suggesting new avenues of research and new ways of approaching old problems. The only up-to-date summary of a central and popular subject Well known editors and authors Provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition Covers all major animal groups Includes a chapter on plants
Download or read book Sperm Competition and the Evolution of Animal Mating systems written by Robert L. Smith and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 710 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sperm Competition and the Evolution of Animal Mating Systems describes the role of sperm competition in selection on a range of attributes from gamete morphology to species mating systems. This book is organized into 19 chapters and begins with the conceptualization of sperm competition as a subset of sexual selection and its implications for the insects. The following chapter describes the relationship between multiple mating and female fitness, with an emphasis on determining the conditions under which selection on females is likely to counteract selection on males for avoiding sperm competition. Other chapters consider the female perspective on sperm competition; the evolutionary causation at the level of the individual male gamete; and the correlation of high paternal investment and sperm precedence in the insects. The remaining chapters are arranged phylogenetically and explore the sperm competition in diverse animal taxa, such as the Drosophila, Lepidoptera, spiders, amphibians, and reptiles. These chapters also cover the evolution of direct versus indirect sperm transfer among the arachnids or the problem for kinship theory presented by multiple mating and sperm competition in the Hymenoptera. This book further discusses the remarkable potential for sperm competition among certain temperate bat species whose females store sperm through winter hibernation and the mixed strategies and male-caused female genital trauma as possible sperm competition adaptations in poeciliid fishes. The concluding chapter examines the predictions concerning testes size and mating systems in the primates and the possible role of sperm competition in human selection. This book is of great value to reproductive biologists and researchers.
Download or read book Sperm Competition and Its Evolutionary Consequences in the Insects written by Leigh W. Simmons and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-12-31 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One hundred years after Darwin considered how sexual selection shapes the behavioral and morphological characteristics of males for acquiring mates, Parker realized that sexual selection continues after mating through sperm competition. Because females often mate with multiple males before producing offspring, selection favors adaptations that allow males to preempt sperm from previous males and to prevent their own sperm from preemption by future males. Since the 1970s, this area of research has seen exponential growth, and biologists now recognize sperm competition as an evolutionary force that drives such adaptations as mate guarding, genital morphology, and ejaculate chemistry across all animal taxa. The insects have been critical to this research, and they still offer the greatest potential to reveal fully the evolutionary consequences of sperm competition. This book analyzes and extends thirty years of theoretical and empirical work on insect sperm competition. It considers both male and female interests in sperm utilization and the sexual conflict that can arise when these differ. It covers the mechanics of sperm transfer and utilization, morphology, physiology, and behavior. Sperm competition is shown to have dramatic effects on adaptation in the context of reproduction as well as far-reaching ramifications on life-history evolution and speciation. Written by a top researcher in the field, this comprehensive, up-to-date review of the evolutionary causes and consequences of sperm competition in the insects will prove an invaluable reference for students and established researchers in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology.
Download or read book Promiscuity written by Tim Birkhead and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Birkhead reveals a world in which males and females vie with each other as they strive to maximize their reproductive success. Color illustrations.
Download or read book Female Control written by William G. Eberhard and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evidence from various fields indicates that such selectivity by females may be the norm rather than the exception. Because most postcopulatory competition among males for paternity is played out within the bodies of females, female behavior, morphology, and physiology probably often influence male success in these contests, Eberhard draws examples from a diversity of organisms, ranging from ctenophores to scorpions, nematodes to frogs, and crickets to humans.
Download or read book Sperm Competition in Humans written by Todd K. Shackelford and published by Springer. This book was released on 2010-10-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In species with internal fertilization, sperm competition occurs when the sperm of two or more males simultaneously occupy the reproductive tract of a female and compete to fertilize an egg (Parker, 1970). A large body of empirical research has demonstrated that, as predicted by sperm competition theory, males and females in many species possess anatomical, behavioral, and physiological adaptations that have evolved to deal with the adaptive challenges associated with sperm competition. Moreover, in recent years, evolutionary biologists and psychologists have begun to examine the extent to which sperm competition may have been an important selective pressure during human evolution. Some research has suggested that male humans, like males of many bird, insect, and rodent species, might be able to adjust the number of sperm they inseminate according to the risk of sperm competition. Other research has examined whether such responses might be accompanied by psychological changes that motivate human males to pursue copulations when the risk of sperm competition is high. Furthermore, there is research suggesting that aspects of human penile anatomy might function to enhance success in sperm competition. Much of this work has been controversial; some of the findings have been disputed and others have been greeted with skepticism. However, the idea that some aspects of human psychology and behavior might best be understood as adaptations to sperm competition remains intriguing and, in certain cases, very persuasive.
Download or read book Sexual Selection written by Malte Andersson and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-12-31 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bright colors, enlarged fins, feather plumes, song, horns, antlers, and tusks are often highly sex dimorphic. Why have males in many animals evolved more conspicuous ornaments, signals, and weapons than females? How can such traits evolve although they may reduce male survival? Such questions prompted Darwin's perhaps most scientifically controversial idea--the theory of sexual selection. It still challenges researchers today as they try to understand how competition for mates can favor the variety of sex-dimorphic traits. Reviewing theoretical and empirical work in this very active field, Malte Andersson, a leading contributor himself, provides a major up-to-date synthesis of sexual selection. The author describes the theory and its recent development; examines models, methods, and empirical tests; and identifies many unsolved problems. Among the topics discussed are the selection and evolution of mating preferences; relations between sexual selection and speciation; constraints on sexual selection; and sex differences in signals, body size, and weapons. The rapidly growing study of sexual selection in plants is also reviewed. This volume will interest students, teachers, and researchers in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology.
Download or read book Sperm Competition in Butterflies written by Mamoru Watanabe and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-01-06 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes about 30 years of theoretical, empirical, and experimental work on butterfly sperm competition. It considers the reproductive morphology and sperm utilisation interests of males and females, which shape the mating tactics of each sex. Females of most butterfly species mate multiple times throughout their lives. The reasons are explored, as well as the numerous adaptations males have developed to prevent future mating and fertilisation by the sperm of other males. In particular, this volume focuses on the role of apyrene sperm. Eupyrene and apyrene sperm dimorphism is most likely a key factor in sperm competition, and the study in butterflies promotes understanding of sexual selection across animal species with sperm polymorphism. This book, describing the evolutionary causes and consequences of the sperm competition in butterflies, is a recommended read for students of behavioural ecology.
Download or read book The Princeton Guide to Evolution written by David A. Baum and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-11-04 with total page 888 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Princeton Guide to Evolution is a comprehensive, concise, and authoritative reference to the major subjects and key concepts in evolutionary biology, from genes to mass extinctions. Edited by a distinguished team of evolutionary biologists, with contributions from leading researchers, the guide contains some 100 clear, accurate, and up-to-date articles on the most important topics in seven major areas: phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society. Complete with more than 100 illustrations (including eight pages in color), glossaries of key terms, suggestions for further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential volume for undergraduate and graduate students, scientists in related fields, and anyone else with a serious interest in evolution. Explains key topics in some 100 concise and authoritative articles written by a team of leading evolutionary biologists Contains more than 100 illustrations, including eight pages in color Each article includes an outline, glossary, bibliography, and cross-references Covers phylogenetics and the history of life; selection and adaptation; evolutionary processes; genes, genomes, and phenotypes; speciation and macroevolution; evolution of behavior, society, and humans; and evolution and modern society
Download or read book XIIIth International Symposium on Spermatology written by Lars Björndahl and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-07-22 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These proceedings of the 2018 XIII International Symposium on Spermatology focus on comparative biology, and encourages discussion and the exchange of ideas. The aim of this Symposium was to provide a unique opportunity and bring together scientists from a wide spectrum of research fields – human, domestic animals and other mammals, vertebrates, insects, and plants. The underlying focus is on the function of the spermatozoon – a common feature for sexual reproduction, but extremely varied. By exploring the variability, a better understanding of male reproductive functions can develop. These proceedings address the mechanisms of physiology and pathophysiology, rather than diagnosis and treatment. The symposium featured keynote lectures by invited speakers, followed by presentations on specific aspects of the general topic of the session. Experimental studies are given priority over clinical studies of patient populations. The proceedings comprise both keynote speakers' texts and selected free communications. Posters were considered for publication in the proceedings, and the volume includes exhibited materials on the work of prominent spermatologists, highlighting their important past achievements in the field.
Download or read book Mammalian Sexuality written by Alan F. Dixson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-03 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first detailed account of post-copulatory sexual selection and the evolution of reproduction in mammals.
Download or read book Sperm Biology written by Scott S. Pitnick and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2008-11-21 with total page 683 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sperm Biology represents the first analysis of the evolutionary significance of sperm phenotypes and derived sperm traits and the possible selection pressures responsible for sperm-egg coevolution. An understanding of sperm evolution is fast developing and promises to shed light on many topics from basic reproductive biology to the evolutionary process itself as well as the sperm proteome, the sperm genome and the quantitative genetics of sperm. The Editors have identified 15 topics of current interest and biological significance to cover all aspects of this bizarre, fascinating and important subject. It comprises the most comprehensive and up-to-date review of the evolution of sperm and pointers for future research, written by experts in both sperm biology and evolutionary biology. The combination of evolution and sperm is a potent mix, and this is the definitive account. The first review survey of this emerging field Written by experts from a broad array of disciplines from the physiological and biomedical to the ecological and evolutionary Sheds light on the intricacies of reproduction and the coevolution of sperm, egg and reproductive behavior
Download or read book Sperm Competition in Humans written by Nicholas Pound and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2006 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents the intricate ways in which sperm compete to fertilize eggs and how this has prompted reinterpretations of breeding behavior from a biological perspective. Sperm Competition in Humans: Classic and Contemporary Readings provides a theoretical framework for the study of sperm competition and also discusses the roles of females and the relationships between paternal care in sperm competition. The chapters focus on everything from evolutionary biology to taxonomic development.
Download or read book Sexual Selection A Very Short Introduction written by Marlene Zuk and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-28 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is responsible for the differences between the sexes in so many animals, from the brilliant plumage of birds of paradise to the antlers on deer? And why are the traits that distinguish the sexes sometimes apparently detrimental to survival? Even when they look more or less alike, why do males and females sometimes behave differently? Questions like these have intrigued scientists and the public alike for many years, and new discoveries are showing us both how wildly variable the natural world is, and how some basic principles can help explain much of that variation. Like natural selection, sexual selection is a process that results from differential representation of genes in successive generations. Under sexual selection, however, the crucial characteristics that determine whether an individual reproduces depend on sexual competition, rather than survival ability. This Very Short Introduction considers the history of our understanding of sexual selection, from Darwin's key insights to the modern day. Considering the investment animals place on reproduction, variation in mating systems, sexual conflict, and the origin of sexual dimorphism, Marlene Zuk and Leigh Simmons discuss questions such as whether females can really choose between males on aesthetic grounds, and how sexual conflict is resolved in different species. They conclude with a consideration of the thorny question of how, and even if, sexual selection theory applies to humans. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Download or read book Sexual Selections written by Marlene Zuk and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2002-06-04 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book the author gives an eye-opening tour of some of the latest developments in our knowledge of animal sexuality and evolutionary biology. It exposes the anthropomorphism and gender politics that have colored our understanding of the natural world and shows how feminism can help move us away from our ideological biases. As she tells many amazing stories about animal behavior--whether of birds and apes or of rats and cockroaches--the author takes us to the places where our ideas about nature, gender, and culture collide. (Midwest).
Download or read book Sexual Selection in Primates written by Peter M. Kappeler and published by . This book was released on 2004-05-13 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sexual Selection in Primates is a comprehensive summary of primate sexual interactions.
